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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · stick · press · bear · roll · charge · straw · chest

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — a box
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — of your body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. charge — a price
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. press — to push
  23. bear — the animal
  24. press — a publisher

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com